Last year was a good one for the Town of Pearl River, and Mayor James Lavigne foresees more of the same for 2009.

“I was very pleased with 2008, very pleased indeed,” said Lavigne.

Lavigne said by the second week of January he had already sold three building permits, a number he previously might have seen over the course of a whole month. In 2008, the town saw a number of development projects break ground, including the huge Rooms-to-Go showroom and distribution center just off Interstate 59. The $54 million project is the biggest in the town’s history.

A much smaller development, but perhaps closer to the hearts of Pearl River residents is the Jubilee Market that opened early last year at the intersection of U.S. Highway 11 and Louisiana Highway 41.

“A grocery store and a McDonald’s, that’s something we’ve been needing for years, and there’s still room for development on that property,” Lavigne said. “The family that owns it lives here in town, and they’re good people to work with.”

Lavigne sees the Rooms-to-Go project as a drawing card, and said construction is basically on schedule, having fallen perhaps one or two days behind due to weather problems in recent months. A proposed nearby Waffle House received a permit several months back, and Lavigne is currently reviewing architectural plans for a Microtel.

A residential development is also expected in the area surrounding Rooms-to-Go, but Lavigne said it will probably be a few years before building gets under way, due to the recent slowdown in the economy.

The mayor said that while the big projects have resulted in a positive increase in sales tax revenue, the “mom and pop” businesses that have been a mainstay in the area continue to be an asset.

“Some of them have struggled a little, but so many of them have been here for so long, they’ll hang in there and make a go of it,” he said.

Infrastructure projects helped make 2008 successful for the town as well. Several streets were repaved, and an overflow tank at the sewage plant, something Lavigne had in the works for at least three years, was finally installed.

The tank can be used in the event more capacity is needed by the town, something that appears to be a foregone conclusion. Lavigne said he expects much more development along La. 41, to join those already in place, such as a strip mall with a state-of-the-art fitness center.

With all of the commercial successes, Lavigne said it was the small personal victories that meant the most to him.

Libby Allen, the town clerk for nearly 20 years, retired at the end of 2008. While Lavigne said it hurt to lose Allen, he was happy for her, and had great confidence in her replacement.

Then there was Mike Smith, a longtime resident whose house was demolished after Hurricane Katrina, and who had started on a new house just a few months after the storm. Like many, Smith had trouble getting money from Road Home and encountered several other obstacles as well.

Smith persevered, and was finally able to complete his new home in December.

“He called to tell me he’s about to move in,” said Lavigne. “I tell you, that just made my Christmas.”